Art at Mishkenot Sha'ananim

At one of the seminars at Mishkenot Sha'ananim, author David Grossman remarked that during his stay here for the purpose of writing, he requested that the curtains be drawn and all the openings closed so that the view would not distract him and prevent him from concentrating on his creative work. It is indeed difficult to ignore the beauty of Mishkenot Sha’ananim or to compete with it or with the rich collection of works of art that adorn the walls of the residence. The photographic works of Israeli artists included in the Mishkenot collection are displayed in the interior public spaces and guest rooms of Mishkenot Sha'ananim and emphasize the tension between the old and the new—contemporary art versus the immortal landscape of the city’s walls—which is also the story of Jerusalem.

Artists in Mishkenot

Vardi Kahana

Born in 1959 in Israel.

Vardi Kahana studied at HaMidrasha School of Art in Ramat Hasharon. She is a photographer who moves between the worlds of art and journalism. Her works are displayed in museums and galleries in Israel and around the world, and her portraits have appeared for the past three decades in the leading newspaper supplements in Israel and in magazines abroad.

On One Family Kahana says: "For 15 years or more, I have been documenting my family: my parents, my uncles, my cousins, their children and grandchildren. Four generations. Documenting my relatives took me on long journeys across the country and beyond. I crossed ideological and psychological boundaries. I moved between the Hashomer Hatzair kibbutzim in the north and the settlements in Judea and Samaria, between Susya in the South Hebron Hills and Savyon, between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak and Copenhagen, between Petah Tikva and Caesarea, journeys from left to right, from ultra-Orthodox districts to the homes of complete atheists. On the great question of Israeli- Jewish identity, the pictures of my family provide a kaleidoscope of answers that is the story of one family. This is the entire Israeli-Jewish narrative as it is embodied in one family. My family."

Vardi Kahana